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November 2012 Issue

Homemade Stuffing (“Simple Is Best” Dressing)

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Homemade stuffing recipe Vegetarian stuffing in a white baking dish with one serving on a plate next to the dish.
"Simple is Best" Dressing RecipePhoto by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Ali Nardi

  • Active Time

    20 minutes

  • Total Time

    3 hours

With all the other side dishes on your Thanksgiving table, does your homemade stuffing recipe really need all those extras? Leave the sausage, nuts, cornbread, sweet potatoes, and dried fruit—we love a cranberry, but save it for the relish—behind in favor of this easy, buttery, vegetarian-friendly mix of torn country or sourdough bread and fresh herbs.

Dry out the bread cubes in an oven on low heat to get them crispy before mixing with beaten eggs, a sauté of diced onions and celery in melted butter, a quartet of herbs (including fresh parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme), and a few cups chicken broth—or vegetable broth for a vegetarian version. (Want to sub in dried herbs for the fresh? Here’s a handy guide.) This simple, classic Thanksgiving stuffing comes together with minimal prep time and turns out some of the best stuffing you’ll ever make. Not a minimalist? If you are looking for a version with a few more extras, try this easy sausage and Parmesan stuffing.

Baking the simple stuffing mix in a casserole dish on the side of your bird technically makes it dressing instead of stuffing, but it’s your Thanksgiving dinner; you can call it whatever you want. Feel free to bake this easy stuffing recipe ahead of time, then reheat it at 350°F just until warmed through while the turkey rests.

Editor’s note: This recipe was originally published in the November 2012 issue of ‘Bon Appétit’ and first appeared online October 11, 2012.

All products featured on Epicurious are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

What you’ll need

Ingredients

8–10 servings

¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter plus more for baking dish
1 pound good-quality day-old white bread, torn into 1" pieces (about 10 cups)
2½ cups chopped yellow onions
1½ cups (¼" slices) celery
½ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2½ cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth, divided
2 large eggs

Step 1

Preheat oven to 250°F. Butter a 13x9x2" baking dish and set aside. Scatter bread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, stirring occasionally, until dried out, about 1 hour. Let cool; transfer to a very large bowl.

Step 2

Meanwhile, melt ¾ cup butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add onions and celery. Stir often until just beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add to bowl with bread; stir in herbs, salt, and pepper. Drizzle in 1¼ cups broth and toss gently. Let cool.

Step 3

Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk 1¼ cups broth and eggs in a small bowl. Add to bread mixture; fold gently until thoroughly combined. Transfer to prepared dish, cover with foil, and bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of dressing registers 160°F, about 40 minutes.

DO AHEAD: Dressing can be made one day ahead up to this point. Uncover the dressing, let cool, then cover again and chill. The next day, proceed with the final bake as described below.

Step 4

Uncover dressing and continue to bake until set and top is golden brown and crisp, 40–45 minutes longer (if chilled, add 10–15 minutes for a total time of 1 hour 30 minutes–1 hour 40 minutes).

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Reviews (177)

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  • I love all the fresh herbs. I used only about half the butter for a lighter version, and it was still delicious.

    • Kathleen Sutherland

    • Iowa City, IA

    • 1/13/2022

  • This stuffing is phenomenal... but do NOT use regular sandwich bread is it will end up soggy. If you use a sturdy/crusty bread like sourdough it's the best stuffing ever!!

    • Oakville Jen

    • Oakville, ON

    • 1/1/2022

  • I made this stuffing on Christmas Eve up to the first bake, then put it in the fridge for easier prep on Christmas Day. It looked really great after the first bake and puffed up like a scuffle, but unfortunately did not look quite as appetizing after the second bake. I recommend putting it in a 9-13 baking dish and also DO NOT use potato bread cubes (too dense).

    • Lisa Longoria

    • Gainesville, FL

    • 12/29/2021

  • I made a version of this for Christmas dinner this year. It was exactly what I was hoping for. I forgot to use the eggs, so it was just broth, but it was awesome. I also couldn't find fresh herbs except for the rosemary, so used dried ones...it was STILL awesome. Got lots of compliments. Thank YOU!

    • laurelfleming

    • Ontario Canada

    • 12/26/2021

  • Great recipe - easy to find ingredients - easy to follow directions. Delicious, balanced dressing that matches any chicken or Turkey focused meal.

    • Primrose

    • San Miguel de Allende, MX

    • 12/25/2021

  • I love this recipe! I changed the ingredients to include the flavours my mom always uses in her stuffing; apples, sage, mushrooms, celery and onion, and use turkey stock instead of chicken but follow the method exactly. Top is crispy and golden, bottom is soft but not soggy, truly delicious.

    • Chuck Pavlov

    • Ontario, Canada

    • 12/24/2021

  • Simply the Best! The first year of my marriage 22 years ago I had stuffing at Thanksgiving for the first time. I was hooked. My grandmother always made cornbread dressing. When my husband and I started having our own Thanksgiving with our family he insisted upon stuffing. I searched for years for a recipe that was simple and just like the one his Aunt made. I finally found it about 3 years ago and this is it. I've made it every year since. I even use dried sage and poultry seasoning and it turned out great! This is a keeper.

    • Erika Melrose

    • Dallas, Tx

    • 12/19/2021

  • I made this for Thanksgiving this year and it was a hit--making it again for Christmas. The only thing I changed was that I added leeks in addition to the celery and onions and I am not sad about that! Everyone loved it.

    • Kelly

    • Tacoma, WA

    • 12/18/2021

  • I make this every year exactly as written with whatever plain bread crumbs I can find at the store or fancy bakery artisan bread that I dry out, and it always turns out amazing, regardless of the bread (except when I forgot I wasn't using low-sodium stock, used the written salt amount, and it turned out a touch too salty). This year, my husband wanted me to use Ezekiel bread (sprouted whole-grain bread) and to my surprise, it still turned out wonderfully despite my hefty skepticism. Highly recommend.

    • Flying Pancake

    • Nashville, TN

    • 12/12/2021

  • It's true: simple is best! My stuffing was voted "best" at our Friendsgiving party! And, it was vegetarian!! Used mushrooms instead of pork. Word to the wise: DO know how many pounds of bread you're drying -- use the recipe as a proportion guide. Unfortunately, I cut & dried 3+ lbs of bread -- only realized this when I went to put the wet ingredients over the bread cubes!! Fortunately, had enough onions/celery/herbs to make x2 more. So, 4 hours in, finally had everything in proper proportions to make the stuffing. Added fresh fennel and dill -- on top of the fresh herbs the recipe called for -- (needed to due to aforementioned mistake in lbs of bread) and ultimately, a whole stalk of celery. Turned out moist, delicious, herbaceous. Used a combo of country bread and corn bread -- adding to the variety of textures and flavors that shone through. Did use store-bought broth: combo of mushroom & vegetable broths. I'm glad stuffing's only a once a year escapade -- it's a lot of work but I do love it so....

    • Yasiss

    • SF, CA

    • 11/28/2021

  • I made the dressing for the first time this Thanksgiving. It’s delicious (all that butter!). I doubled the recipe, using a combination of rustic french and sour batard bread, fresh herbs and homemade chicken broth (much more flavorful than the stuff off the shelf). I’ll definitely make this recipe again.

    • Maggie

    • Alamo, CA

    • 11/26/2021

  • This was so good. Good enough to replace my old favorite for Thanksgiving every year.

    • Cassandra

    • Mendocino, Ca

    • 11/26/2021

  • This is delicious! I skipped the parsley and used a French baguette. It was a Thanksgiving hit.

    • Asha

    • Tacoma, WA

    • 11/26/2021

  • Second time making, always amazing!! Everyone agreed it was the best dressing they’d ever had!

    • AbbyT

    • Sterling, VS

    • 11/26/2021

  • Yes! Plus a couple of cloves of garlic, then top the casserole with french fried onions before baking. This was a huge hit at my Thanksgiving dinner, and I'll absolutely make it again.

    • mbcb

    • Drexel Hill, Pa

    • 11/25/2021

TagsThanksgivingStuffing/DressingBon AppétitSideHerbOnionBakeCeleryPeanut FreeTree Nut FreeSoy FreeVegetarian

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